Rabbit pregnancy question?

Bellatrix's · Dec 30, 2008

For a week now I've been wondering if our bunny, Bellatrix, is pregnant. We've found a couple tufts of hair in her cage and she started building a nest in the corner of the cage..this would have been on the 13/14th day of her pregnancy, which is a little early for that. I put a nesting box in her cage over the previous spot of her nest, and she hasn't touched it. Today is the 20th day. On the 4th day of her possible pregnancy she endured a lot of stress- being attacked by a dog and having her companion killed by it (<3 Theodore)

. The morning after this incident, I picked her up and found a large, olive-green ball of mush on her underside. An hour later it was nowhere to be found..I was wondering if this could possibly be aborted babies..

*Also, we don't have any experience palpating rabbits, but we lightly felt her tummy and can't feel any noticeable lumps.

deedee · Dec 31, 2008

Does often nest build on day 14, this normally means that they have missed. I test mate my does at this stage, the ones that whiz off, growling ARE, the ones that aren't lay flat and stick their bums in the air.:roll::lol:
As to the lump of mush, at only day 4 (you do not count the day that they mate, the mating action brings the doe in to season, the eggs are released and the waiting sperm pounce) the babies would not of started to develop to that degree, it's very unusual for a doe to abort their babies, they normally re-absorb them.:?
Hope this helps, sorry to hear of your loss.

Fairy13 · Dec 31, 2008

I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of your other bun. The olive green mush sounds to me like it could be uneaten ceacotrophs that she has then perhaps cleaned off herself.
I doubt it was any aborted feotuses. At a guess anything like that would be bloody.
If she was nest building it does seem as though she is just having a phantom pregnancy. I think the only thing you can do is keep a close eye her and if she builds again around day 28 onward then she could be about to give birth.
Other than that take her to the vet for a check up and they'll be able to let you know either way.

youngbunny2 · Dec 31, 2008

if you give her something nice to eat then put your hand on her belly,you will feel any babies moving after day 23.

Bellatrix's · Jan 2, 2009

Thank you everyone

becki_moorcroft · Jan 2, 2009

you wont necissarily be able to feel babies moving... i could have sworn one of mine missed... yet she delievered yesterday :roll: so i was feeling on day 30 and nothing....

although i would find it highly unlikely that she would be pregnant after a dog attack... the slightest little spook would cause her to re absorb the young... rabbits very rarely abort... and usually only in the later stages,

many does build nest, it's a natural thing... i have a speyed doe who builds a nest every month, and sits waiting for the stork... some times insticts take over,

the only sure way to tell if she is having any or not, is to wait... and really theres not much you can do to make it any easier for her, just treat her as you always do, if she has any, she will know best

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